Building-ventilator construction



Dec. 1924.. 1,517,321

J. SYLVAN BUILDING VENTILATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Apm; 26.1921 '2 sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 1924- v 1,517,321

4 v J. SYLVAN BUILDING VENT-ILATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed A x-u'zs, 2.9mzsneeza-sheem 2 Fatented Dec. 2, 1924,

BUILDENGVENTILATO3 eonsrnncrron,

Application-filed c l-n as, 1921. Serial No. 464,650.

To all whom :it may-concern:

Be it known that I, JQSEPH :SYLV-AN,'13, citizen of the United States, and a resident of'Ghicago, in the. county-of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building-Ventil-ator Constructions; and I do hereby declare that the followingisa .full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying-drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates :to improvements in building ventilator construction, and consists of the matters hereinafter {described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention relates rmore ;particularlyto that type of building ventilatonknown:-as;.a I

' ridge ventilator, wherein-there lS PTOVldGd in the ridge or pea-kof-a EbUllCl-illg roof or skylight, an elongated wrectanfgular opening, above which is a hood or secondary roof structure, the margins of which overhang the sides of said opening. a'llhus, when a wind. blows beneath one or the other side margins of the hood and overtheventilation opening a suction is produced up through the opening "to efficiently ventilate the space beneath the roof oris'kyli'ght.

One of the objects of the present invention isto provide inconnection-With such a vein tilator a plurality of deflector :pla tes arranged longitudinally of the opening to pre vent a down draft, or the entrance -of rain, snow'and the like, through said opening, intothe room or spacebeneathrthesame with out materially restricting the up draft through said opening due to the suction or aspiratin-g action o'f-the wind as before mentioned.

A furtherobject of-the nvention is'to so Inthe drawings Figure 1 is atransverse section through the ridge or peakof a building roof embodying -my improved ventilator construction.

Figure 2 is a vertical detail sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure '8 is a view inelevation of a deflector actuating frame which will be more-specifically referred to later.

Figure at is a perspective view of a fragment -.of one of the deflectors.

Referring now in detail tothat embodimentioftheinvention illustrated in the-accompanyingdrawings:-5 indicates a part :of the building roof, and 6 indicates the or-the junction of the rafters, and secured tosaid rafters, are longitudinally-extending,

edgewise arranged stringers 9, and upon the rafters 7 outside of the plane of said stringers, is nailed the sheathing or-boarding 10 of the roof. Upon the sheathing is laid the prepared waterproof or coi'nposition roofing material 11, the marginal parts of which are attached to .the outer faces of the stringers. A combined flashing and gutter strip 1'2,;preferab1yof sheet metal, covers the stringers 9. The outer .marginal part '13-ofthestr-ips overlaps the roof-sheathing near the stringers, sand the inner marginal part 14 of the strips is spaced from the stringers 9, andis engaged upon theedges of the rafters to provide gutters '15 Which are open at the ends. It is apparent that a space or opening is fori'nedi-rt the ridge of the roof, the sides :of which are defined by the-stringers 9, and the strips 12. a

16 indicates one of plurahty of upright standards arranged iin-the'plane of the ridge or junction-ofrtherafters. Said standard as shown, is secured at its bottom end to the cross brace 8 and projects a t-its top end a suitable distance above the ridge of the roof. Secured to the rafters Tend the stringers-9 respectively, are upwardly and outwardly extending scantlings 17 arranged at a right angle to the rafters. Holes are provided in the flashing and gutter strips 12 through which the bottom ends of the scantlings 17 extend. Fixed to the top ends of the scantlings, and to the top ends of the standards 16, are secondary or hood rafters 18, which extend in planes parallel to the roof rafters 7. To the top outer edges of the scantlings 1'7, and to the outer ends of the hood rafters 18, are longitudinal stringer-s 19, which are arranged in a plane spaced outwardly from the vertical plane of the roof stringers 9. To more securely tie the hood rafters and standards together, I provide horizontally disposed secondary cross braces 20. On the hood rafters is nailed a roof sheathing 21, upon which is laid a prepared waterproof roofing material 22. The structure just above described provides a hood which is spaced above, and overhangs at its sides, the opening in the roof proper. End walls 23 are provided between said hood and roof.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the roof opening communicates with the openings defined by the outer side margins of the hood and the stringers 9 and the combined flashing and gutter strips 12, of the roof, so that the wind is free to blow through the hood openings and over the roof opening. When the wind is blowing in through one hood opening and out through the other, an aspirating or suction action is established above the roof opening to produce an updraft therethrough which ventilates the space beneath the same.

To prevent a down draft through the ventilating or roof opening as well as to keep out the rain and snow and to increase the entrance of natural light through said opening, without restricting or materially reducing the area of the said ventilating opening, I provide the following construct1on:

25, 25, indicate aplurality of normally upright deflector plates, extending longitudinally of the ventilating or roof opening. Said plates are arranged in sets, one set on each side of the plane of the ridge of roof. As illustrated herein, each set in cludes four deflector plates, but this nuinber may be increased or decreased according to the width of the roof opening. The plates of each set rest upon and are-connected to the roof rafters, and are laterally spaced apart a substantially equal distance between each other, which distance is shorterrthan the height of said plates. The innermost plates of each set are spaced from the ridge a distance substantiallv equal to the height of the'plates. As shown, the outermost plates of each set are arranged in the plane of the margins 14: of the flash ing and gutter strips 12,

As said deflector plates are all alike, a detail description of one will sufiice. Each plate includes an upright panel 26 having a downwardly and outwardly bent bottom web 27 that terminates in an upright flange 28, which is spaced from the panel to provide a trough or gutter 29 at the bottom of the deflector plate. The web 27 is inclined in a plane parallel to the inclination of the roof rafters 7.

Each deflector plate extends substantially the full length of the roof opening, to terminate short of the end walls 23 for a purpose to appear later, and each plate, except the outermost one of each set, is hinged along the bottom marginal part of the panel as at 30, to the roof rafters 7 The outermost plate of each set which normally stands in the plane of the flanges let of the flashing and gutter strips 12 is hinged to the flanges 14 of said strips in the same manner. The panels of the deflector plates are of a height greater than the spacing distance between said plates, so that when the plates are swung inwardly and downwardly aboutthe hinged connection 30, the top marginal part of one plate overlaps the gutter part 29 of the next inner adjacent plate. The top edges of the innermost plates of each set approximately engage each other in the plane of the ridge of the roof, and at the junction of the rafters 7 I provide blocks 31 which have oppositely inclined surfaces upon which the top marginal parts of the innermost deflector plates of each set rest when in the closed postion shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. It is apparent from the foregoing that when the said plates have been swung inwardly and downwardly, they will act to close the ventilation opening in the roof and if any rain blows in beneath the side margins of the hood and falls upon the deflector plates, the t-roughs29 will catch and direct the same towards the ends of the deflector plates, where it will drop into transverse gutters 32 fixed on the inside surface of the end walls 23. The gutters 32 are slightly inclined downwardly from the middle towards the ends which communicate with discharge tubes 33 that open through the roof sheathing. Thus, such water as is discharged from the ends of the gutters of the deflector plates and from the gutters 15 of the flashing strips 12, falls into the gutters 32 to be dishcharged out upon the roof.

When the deflector plates are in their upright position, the top edge of one plate is arranged in a plane above that ofthe gut ter 29 of the next adjacent plate, the top edges of the outermost plates of each set extending into a plane below that of the side margins of the hood, and the top margins of the innermost plates of each set extending into a plane above that of the side margins lUU CID

of the hood. Thus such wind as blows in horizontally beneath one side margin of the hood will strike the outermost dei ectorplate and be deflected u 'iwardly to the top margins of the next plate so that it will pass over the roof opening and out beneath the other side margin of the hood, thus producing an up draft through said opening,

If the wind should enter at an angle inclined downwardly from the horizontal, the said plates will deflect the same and change its course so that it must pass over and can not pass down through the roof opening.

Means are provided for simultaneously swinging all of said plates from an upright open, to an inclined closed position, and such means is as follows. On one or more of the uprights 16 between the end walls 23, are mounted flat triangular frames 35. Each frame includes a vertically arranged flat bar 36, having spaced slots 37 therein, two oppositely downwardly and outwardly inclined bars 38, arranged in planes parallel with the roof rafters 7 and a horizontal cross bar 39 which connects the outer ends of the bars 38 with the vertical flat bar 36 see Fig. 3. Extending through the slots 37 and secured in the associated upright 16, are lag screws 40, which connect the frames to said uprights in a manner permitting of a limited vertical movement of the frames. Pivotally connected to the inner face of the panel 26 of each deflector plate 25, is the top end of a link 41, the bottom end of which is connected to the inclined bars 38 of each frame 35 at points spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between the deflector plates.

The bottom end of each vertical bar 36 of each frame 85, is connected to one end of a link 43, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the free end of a short arm 44 secured to a shaft 45, journalled in bearings 46, on the bottom edges of the cross bars 8, at the bottom ends of the uprights 16. Said bearings are adjustable to grip the shaft so that the same is not easily rotatable in said bearings. Fixed to the shaft between its ends is a sheave 47, about which is trained an endless operating chain 48, the bottom looped end of which hangs in a position within convenient reach, from the floor of the room or space beneath the roof opening.

It is apparent that by rotating the shaft 45 in one direction (counter clockwise substantially the frame 35 is moved downwardly and through the links 41 will swing all the deflector plates 25 inwardly and downwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 wherein the opening in the ridge of the roof is closed.

When the shaft 45 is rotated in the other or clockwise direction, the frame 35 is elevated and this through the links '41 will swing'the deflector plates into the upright &

position shown in full lines in Figure 1.

.l Vhen the deflector plates are in this posistopped by a stop pin 49. Thus the deflector plates are automatically locked in their upright open position and cannot beblown down into a closed position by astrong wind blowing in beneath one or the other margins of the hood.

Instead of the stationary hood structure as illustrated and described herein, I may use the deflector plates equally as well in connection with a hood wherein the side sections are of the hinged type as shown in my Patent Number 1,410,625, dated March 28, 1922.

The deflector plates not only act to pre vent downdraft through the roof opening, but also act to reflect the natural light so that it is spread over a greater area in the room or space beneath the roof opening.

referred to certain details of mechanical'construction and arrangement of parts, I do not wish to be limited thereto except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim is my invention 1. In combination with a roof having a ventilation opening therein and including roof rafters, a hood above said opening, a plurality of deflector plates extending longitudinally of said ventilation opening, each plate having a trough at its bottom margin, means providing a hinged connection between said bottom margins of said plates and said roof rafters, and means for simultaneously swingingsaid plates from a closed position wherein they extend at an angle substantially parallel with the roof rafters into the open position wherein they stand substantially upright.

2. In combination with a roof having a ventilation opening therein and including roof rafters, a hood above said ventilation opening, two sets of longitudinally extend ing deflector plates, arranged with one set on each side of the vertical plane of the ridge of the roof, means providing a hinged connection between the bottom margins of the deflector plates and said rafters, each set of plates being capable of a swinging movement from the upright open position, downwardly and inwardly toward said plane of the ridge of the roof into a closed position wherein they extend parallel to the plane of the rafters, a vertically movable frame,

means connecting each deflector plate to said frame, and means for imparting a limited vertical movement to said frame for swinging the deflector plate from an open to a closed position and vice versa.

3. In combination with means providing a ventilation opening, a hood above said opening, and a plurality of normally up- In testimony that I claim the foregoing 10 right, hinged deflector plates extending lonas my invention, 1 affix my signature in the gitudinally of said opening, each plate inpresence of two Witnesses, this 12th day of eluding an outwardly facing trough at its April, A. D. 1921.

bottom edge a Vertically movable frame,

F T T means connectlng the frame and the de- JOSEPH SYLX Hector plates, and means for imparting Witnesses: movement to said frame to swing said de- T. H. ALFPEDS,

fieetor plates about the hinged axes. CHRISTINA DEANS. 

